Gaseous fluid treating apparatus



April 28, 1942. w, w, -r 2,281,168

GASEOUS FLUID TREATING APPARATUS fizvfitor: Wan 2121 0965.

AMA M gases and/or vapors.

Patented Apr. 28, 1942 GASEOUS FLUID TREATING APPARATUS Win W. Paget, Long Beach, Michigan City, Ind., assignor to Sullivan Machinery Company, a

corporation of Massachusetts Application January 17, 1938, Serial No. 185,312

3 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for treating From one aspect, it relates and may be applied to treatment and separation of binary or complex mixtures of gases of different dew points. From another aspect my invention relates to apparatus for dehumidifying and/or cleansing, without substantial sacrifice of energy, gaseous pressure media. From a further aspect, it relates to apparatus for changing the moisture content, withal with a minimum of temperature change, gaseous heating and/or cooling media. In its many aspects and embodiments and employments it is applicable to the chemical, the air conditioning, and .to the compressed air and gas arts, and its applicability to other fields will be obvious. 4

In the supply of compressed air to air-operated tools and the like it is desirable to remove the moisture and any. oil from the air discharged.

by the compressor before itpasses to the tools.

All the heat extracted from the air during this operation represents lost energy','however; and it is desirable therefore to remove the oil and separate out thewater without reducing the ultimate air or other gaseous medium temperature any more than is essential. Also in air conditioning it may be desirable, under some circumstances, to separate moisture with a minimumchange of temperature or perhaps to add moisture with like mode or temperature maintenance. It is also often desirable in certain chemical processes to separate out of binary or complex gaseous mixtures, certain constituents having a different dew point from the remainder, while altering as little as possible the condition and/or state of such remainder.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved means for eliminating a constituentof a complex or at least binary gaseous mixture therefrom, which constituent has a different dew point from others, while maintaining the condition of the residual gas or gases very. slightly changed. Another object is to provide an improved heat exchange device. Still another object is to provide an improved heat exchanger and moisture or vapor extractor which operates on an improved principle and with improved results. Other objects and'advantages oi the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing, which shows for purposes of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice,

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the apparatus:

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section in the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in the the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 isa diagrammatic .view showing the lilustrative embodiment of the invention in use,

plane of the scale of the parts of this figure not being uniform throughout.

Referring to the drawing, and first to the diagrammatic view of Fig. 4, it will be noted that the illustrative apparatus is designated I. To it air under pressure, and at aconsiderable temperature, as it contains the heat of compression, is delivered by a compressor 2 through the compressor discharge line 3. Cooling ,water is delivered to the apparatus I through a line 4 and is conducted away from it through a line 5. A trap 6 and a discharge line 1 lead off condensed moisture and any oil or other impurities which enter the apparatus I with the air. The'air at its comparatively elevated temperature enters the apparatus I, is dehumidifled and loses its oil vapors,

if any are entrained therein, and, issues in an' only moderately cooled condition, and with a considerable degree of its original temperature restored to it, through the line 8 which may lead directly to an air user. i I

The apparatus I is designed to eifect a progressive giving up of heat'by the entering gases to the dehumidified leaving gases, and, at a point when the temperature of the gases to be dehumidified has already been considerably reduced, to subject these gases to direct contact with a suitable cooling unit; The transfer of heat between the entering and leaving gases, since they must be kept separated, involves the provision 'of as large heat transfer surfaces as may be conveniently practical and, desirably, though not imperatively, thin walls separating the oppositely moving gas streams. By keeping like pressures on opposite sides of the heat transfer walls it is practicable to make these very light, and of material, such as copper, which is especially suited for the purpose. By causing the entering gases to engage the heat transfer wall at a point which is immediately adjacent the point at which the treated gases leave the apparatus, maximum restoration of temperature to the treated gases is possible. Moreover, by subjecting the gases which have been already considerably cooled to the action of a suitable cooling device, the size of this latter may be materially reduced.

Now referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, it will be observed that a suitable casing II, made of suitable material and strength to withstand the pressure at which the gases are respectively. for the entering and leaving gases.

2 The lower side of the head It and the top of the wall I8 are correspondingly grooved, as at the warmest leaving air.

2| and 22, and in these grooves, which extend in nested spirals, so to speak, there are disposed throughout the greater part of its length having cent the other, and which open through the diametrically spaced passages or ports 26 and 21 into communication, through the wall it,

' with the chamber or compartment l3. The outer convolutions of the spiral sheets 23 are supported by the walls of the casing IS. The fiow is not wholly counter-flow with the structure specifically shown and described, but is mainly so,

assists lain a device for dehumidifying a moistureladen gas, in combination, means forming a pairof spirally disposed non-communicating thin substantially vertical walls, each passage the other passage at each of its opposite sides,

top inlet means for one of said passages adJacent its axis, top discharge means for the other of said passages adjacent its axis, bottom dis-- chargemeans for said first passage adjacent its and ii the advantages of compactness that'the nested spirals provide were not sought, a, true counter-flow. relation could obviously be provided. Within the compartment I3 is a suitable cooling unit 23 herein illustrated as consisting of series of water-conducting pipes 29 and flow-guiding plates30. A sump 3| receives the condensed liquid and oil and the trap 6 controls its discharge. shown and described is but illustrative, and many and substantial modifications-are possible and contemplated within the scope of the appended claims.

The mode of operation of the apparatus shown and described needs little repetition.- The air at asubstantial temperature enters at It], passes through the passage 24 and flows through opening 26 into compartment l3, where it moves, in bafiled flow, to the opening 21-, then through the spiral passage 26 to the discharge opening 20. As the hottest air enters, it gives up heat to As the entering air drops in temperature it continues to give up heat to the cooler leaving .air next to which it is.flowing. When substantiallycooled, and with some of its moisture already condensing, it flows over the appropriately designed cooler 28 and Obviously the A structure.

means for the other passage adjacent the axis outerend, bottom inlet means for said second passage adjacent its outer end, said bottom discharge means and said bottom inlet means spaced from each other substantially the full width of said device, means forming a compartment connecting said bottom discharge means and said bottom inlet means, and cooling means in said compartment over which fluid passing from said bottom discharge means to said bottom inlet means passes in such transit.

2. In a device for dehumidifying a moistureladen gas, in combination, a casing having therein means forming a pair of spirally disposed passages separated from each other by relatively thin substantially vertical walls, each passage throughout a substantial portion of its length having the other passage at each of its opposite sides, top inlet means for one of said passages adjacent the axis of its spiral, top discharge of its spiral, bottom discharge means for said first passage adjacent its outer end, bottom inlet means for said second passage adjacent its outer end, said bottom, discharge means and said bottom inlet means substantially diametrically opposite each other with respect to said casing, means secured to the bottom of said casing forming a conduit connecting said bottom discharge and bottom inlet means, cooling means in said conduit, and baflie means in said conduit for lengthening the travel of the gas I in contact with said cooling means.

is further and most efiectivelydehumidified and has separated, from it any entrained oil. The cobled and dehumidified air progressively absorbs heatirom the entering air streams through the walls 23, and leaves the discharge opening 20 with considerable heat restored to it, and so .with more available energy than would be possible with any ordinary aftercooler. Obviously the apparatus described is applicable to widely varied uses.

The applicability of such an apparatus, modifled if desired, to the separation of one constituent from a binary or complex gaseous mixture whose components have difierent dew points. and the use of such equipment in the air conditioning art, will be clearly understood andobvious to those skilled in these arts, upon a review of what has been said, so that a further de- Letters Patent is: v

3.-In a device for dehumidifying a moistureladen gas, in combination, acylindrical casing having therein means forming a pair of spirally disposed passages separated from each other by relatively thin substantially vertical walls, each passage throughout a substantial portion of its length having the other passage at each of its opposite sides, top inlet means for one of said means and said bottom inlet means substantially said casing for lengthening the travel of the gas in contact with said cooling means.

WIN W. PAGET. 

